A Prayer for the Successful Education of Children in Torah and Fear of Heaven

Master of the Universe, Almighty One from whom no purpose can be withheld, grant me the merit to pour out oceans of tears before You for our sons and daughters, our grandsons and granddaughters, and all our descendants until the end of all generations. Please, Hashem, grant us the merit to draw down holy and pure souls for our sons and daughters and all our descendants until the end of all generations. May we merit to draw down to them the souls of the Seven Shepherds—Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David—and the Four Matriarchs—Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah. May our sons, our daughters, and all our descendants until the end of all generations be clean from all sin and iniquity, and from any trace of blemish, Heaven forbid. May no harm befall them, neither spiritually nor physically. May all our descendants until the end of all generations merit the fulfillment of the verses: "Our sons are like saplings grown tall in their youth; our daughters are like corner-pillars, carved in the form of a palace" (Psalms 144:12), and "My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is comely" (Song of Songs 2:14). May our sons be great in Torah, knowing the entire Shas (Talmud), Rambam, Tur, Shulchan Aruch, Tekafo Kohen, Ketzos HaChoshen, Nesivos HaMishpat, the Rishonim and Acharonim, Ramban, Rashba, Ritva, Meiri, Shitah Mekubetzet, and all the holy books in the world that have been written and that will be written. And may the angels of Argaman (an acronym for the angels of the Divine Chariot), who are Uriel, Raphael, Gavriel, Michael, and Nuriel (Tikkunei Zohar, Additions 6), accompany them day and night without a single second of interruption.

Please, Hashem, we come before You with knocking knees and trembling loins, our eyes shedding water, to merit mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) until the end of all generations. For if a person could calculate how many drops of water are in the Sea of Tiberias, they would know how much water our forefather Yaakov poured upon the pillar in Beis El. All the drops that Yaakov poured were the drops of the souls, the roots of the souls, and the very essence of all generations until the end of time, which our forefather Yaakov poured upon the pillar (Likutey Halachos, Arev 5:39). Through this, our forefather Yaakov planted the root of mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) within all the souls of Israel until the end of all generations. May we be bound upon the altar like our forefather Yitzchak, binding ourselves in every moment and second. And like Rabbi Akiva—who carried the soul of Yaakov, which is the soul of Adam HaRishon, impregnated within him—who prayed and agonized his entire life, "When will the opportunity to fulfill this verse come to my hand?" He finally merited this on the last day of his life, on the awesome and holy day of Yom Kippur, when he was exactly one hundred and twenty years old, and they combed his flesh with iron combs. He merited for all generations that his holy soul impregnates every son and daughter, man and woman, planting within them the strength to sacrifice their lives and be bound for the sanctification of Hashem's Name. Even if their flesh is combed with iron combs, they continue to cry out with immense devotion: "Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad" (Hear O Israel, Hashem is our God, Hashem is One). Please, Hashem, grant us the merit that we, our sons, our daughters, and all our descendants until the end of all generations will constantly cry out "Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad" with supreme mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), nullifying all physical sensations. May we truly merit to elevate Malchus (the Divine attribute of Kingship) to Binah (the Divine attribute of Understanding) (Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar Krias Shema 12), and merit with all our soul and might to sacrifice our lives in every moment and second for Hashem, may He be blessed.

Please, Hashem, Almighty One, grant me the merit to elevate the souls of our sons and daughters, our grandsons and granddaughters, and all our descendants until the end of all generations from the abyss of oblivion, from the fifty gates of impurity to the fifty gates of holiness. May this be accomplished through the power of the true tzaddik, before whom no gate is closed. As the Gemara (Chagigah 15b) relates about Rabbi Yochanan, who said, "If I enter Gehenna and take a soul out from there, who can snatch it from my hand?" And upon his passing, a eulogizer declared about him, "Even the guard at the gate could not stand before you, Rabbi Yochanan."

Please, Hashem, Almighty One, "Oh, that my head were water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night" over the education of our sons and daughters, our grandsons and granddaughters, and all our descendants until the end of all generations. May no stumbling block ever occur to any person through my offspring or my offspring's offspring forever. And likewise, may no damage or obstacle ever befall them, Heaven forbid, neither spiritually nor physically. May they always be clean from any stain, perfect in the study of the holy Torah, pure and clear "like the very heavens for purity," their forms like sapphire. May they shine and radiate like the sun at midday and like the moon in its fullness. May they merit to always pray with purity, clarity, and deep devotion (deveikus) in every word and every letter, until they merit through their prayers and supplications to elevate all the souls of our generation and of all generations to complete emunah (faith) in Hashem, may He be blessed. May they merit to literally see Hashem face to face, as it is stated: "Face to face Hashem spoke with you" (Deuteronomy 5:4); "When shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalms 42:3); and "For they shall see eye to eye when Hashem returns to Zion" (Isaiah 52:8). May they merit that the eye of Arich Anpin (the Divine manifestation of ultimate mercy and infinite patience) will clothe itself within the eye of Zeir Anpin (the Divine manifestation of judgment and emotional attributes) (Zohar 137, Parashas Nasso, Matok MiDvash 137). Then, the eye of Zeir Anpin will be entirely radiant with the Supernal Whiteness from the purest, most lucid lights—lights of pure mercy without any judgment at all, Heaven forbid.

Please, Hashem, we have come to cry out before You from the deepest depths, from the lowest abyss and even beneath it: "As when one plows and cleaves the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave. But my eyes are toward You, O God, my Lord; in You I take refuge, do not pour out my soul. Keep me from the snare they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity" (Psalms 141:7-9). "With my voice I cry out to Hashem; with my voice I plead to Hashem. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. When my spirit faints within me, You know my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a snare for me. Look to the right and see, there is no one who recognizes me; all refuge has perished from me; no one cares for my soul. I cried out to You, Hashem; I said, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.' Listen to my cry, for I am brought very low; save me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks to Your Name; the righteous will crown themselves because of me, for You will deal bountifully with me" (ibid. 142:2-8). Please, Hashem, have pity on Your creations and have compassion on the work of Your hands. May my words find favor before the Master of all. Please have pity on the clear and pure souls descending into this murky world, clouded by endless impurities—especially the souls You grant merit to descend through me. Illuminate for them the correct paths, the 32 Paths of Wisdom and the 50 Gates of Understanding. Shower upon them Your infinite light, and do not hide Your essence from them, Heaven forbid. May they merit to truly cleave to the innermost depths of Your pure and clear light, the lucid lights of Atika Kadisha (the Holy Ancient One) and Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man, the highest spiritual realms). May no gate be closed before them, Heaven forbid, and may there be no barrier that You do not tear away. May no concealment stand in their way, not even a concealment within a concealment. Rather, wherever they go and turn, in every Torah study they delve into and learn, and in every deed they do, may they merit to see Your infinite light. For there is no barrier in this world or in the World to Come that can conceal Your infinite light. Please, Hashem, have compassion on Your creations and open Your gates to all Your people, the House of Israel, and to all inhabitants of the world, before the day turns and our sun sets, Heaven forbid. Prolong our days and our years, and the years of our sons, our daughters, and all our offspring until the end of all generations. May they always merit to see Your infinite light in every moment and second, without any separating barrier, Heaven forbid. May our sons and daughters merit through their prayers to draw down into the world the Third Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), which will be entirely made of flaming fire, as it is written: "And I will be to her, declares Hashem, a wall of fire all around, and for glory I will be in her midst" (Zechariah 2:9).

Master of the Universe, Almighty One, grant us, our sons, our daughters, and all our offspring until the end of all generations the merit to be absorbed into the Infinite Lights. May this be achieved by meriting the humility and lowliness of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, about whom it is said: "Now the man Moshe was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). He merited to fulfill the teaching of our Sages: "Be exceedingly, exceedingly humble of spirit" (Avos 4:4). In the merit of attaining the ultimate level of humility and lowliness, he merited to bring the Ten Plagues, split the sea, lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, and transmit the entire Torah—with all its general principles, specific details, and nuances—for all generations. To the point that any novel insight a dedicated student will ever innovate in the future was already given to Moshe at Sinai.

Please, Ancient of all Ancients, Most Hidden of all Hidden, the Ultimate Concealment, grant us, our offspring, our offspring's offspring until the end of all generations, and all who depend on us until the end of all generations, the merit to attain the humility and lowliness of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who said, "And what are we?" (Exodus 16:7-8). And the humility of our forefather Avraham, peace be upon him, who said, "I am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27). May we know truly and completely that we are infinitely worse than dust and ashes. For we have already pierced and cracked the entire globe and all our bones from one side to the other, as it is written: "And their iniquities were engraved upon their bones" (see Likutey Moharan, Torah 4, Section 5). All the sins we have committed are already engraved from one side to the other, leaving no sound spot in our flesh that we have not punctured and blemished through our multitude of sins. Our only trust and stronghold is in Hashem, may He be blessed, as we come to beg You for forgiveness and pardon in the merit of the holy children You give us every day and every moment. May we truly merit to educate and raise them for Torah and good deeds. In the merit of attaining ultimate humility, may we be absorbed into the upper tip of the letter Yud and the upper tip of the letter Dalet of "Hashem Echad" (Hashem is One). Through this, may we merit to see Hashem, may He be blessed, face to face in every moment and second, just as our forefather Yaakov said: "For I have seen God face to face, and my soul is delivered" (Genesis 32:31). And all this is in the merit of the true tzaddik, who is the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him. He merited to be humble and lowly with the ultimate humility and lowliness, to the point that he could not even write the word "Anav" (humble) completely, omitting the letter Yud out of his immense humility. Through this, may the complete Geulah (Redemption) arrive, and may the Beis HaMikdash be built by Mashiach ben David in the blink of an eye, speedily in our days. Amen, Netzach, Selah, Va'ed.

תְּפִלָּה לִזְכּוֹת לְבָנִים צַדִּיקִים (A Prayer to Merit Righteous Children)

Master of the Universe, Almighty One from whom no purpose can be withheld, Hashem, Hashem, God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Please forgive and pardon all my iniquities, sins, and transgressions. Grant me the merit of teshuvah (repentance) out of love, so that all my iniquities will be transformed into merits. May all my intentions and my teshuvah be solely for the sake of Your Name, Hashem. For there is none to compare to You, Hashem our God, in this world; there is none besides You, our King, for the life of the World to Come; there is nothing but You, our Redeemer, for the days of Mashiach; and there is none like You, our Savior, for the Resurrection of the Dead.

Grant me the merit of sons and daughters solely for the sake of Your Name, as it is written: "And Channah prayed upon Hashem" (I Samuel 1:10). She prayed for children solely so that they would sanctify Your Name and bring all Your people Israel back in teshuvah, and that they would be children on the spiritual level of Moshe and Aharon. As it is written: "Moshe and Aharon among His priests, and Shmuel among those who call upon His Name" (Psalms 99:6). May they sanctify the Name of Heaven in public with every single movement and every single breath. May they grow and blossom for the glory of Hashem, His Torah, and His truth. May they merit to bring the Shechinah (Divine Presence) down to the world anew. Just like Avraham, who brought it down from the seventh heaven to the sixth heaven; and like Yitzchak, who brought it down from the sixth heaven to the fifth; and like Yaakov, who brought it down to Zevul (the fourth heaven); and like Levi, who brought it down to Shechakim (the third heaven); and like Kehas, who brought it down to Rakia (the second heaven); and like Amram, who brought it down to the first heaven called Vilon; and like Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who brought it down to the earth. As it is written: "Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moshe, dividing the water before them to make for Himself an everlasting Name; Who led them through the depths, like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like a beast going down into the valley, the spirit of Hashem gave them rest; so You led Your people, to make for Yourself a glorious Name" (Isaiah 63:12-14).

Master of the Universe, grant that the verses be fulfilled in the sons and daughters we bring into the world: "Yet now hear, O Yaakov My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says Hashem who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: Fear not, O Yaakov My servant, and Yeshurun whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon your offspring. And they shall spring up among the grass, like willows by the watercourses. One shall say, 'I am Hashem's,' and another shall call himself by the name of Yaakov; and another shall subscribe with his hand to Hashem, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Thus says Hashem, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Hashem of Hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God. And who, like Me, can call and declare it, and set it in order for Me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare. Fear not, neither be afraid; have I not declared to you of old, and announced it? And you are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Indeed, there is no Rock; I know not any" (ibid. 44:1-8). "For Hashem has ransomed Yaakov, and redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of Hashem, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all" (Jeremiah 31:10-11). Gladden us with sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, great-grandsons and great-granddaughters. May the blessing that Moshe promised be fulfilled in us: "May Hashem, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times more than you are" (Deuteronomy 1:11). May they all be doers of His will, may He be blessed, and with every single step, may they intend solely to unify the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He.

Please, Merciful and Gracious One, grant me the merit of new souls, sons and daughters, who will merit to receive a new and renewed mouth in every moment and second, like our holy and awesome Rebbe Nachman. May every single word and every single letter that they utter from their mouths be measured and weighed, until they merit that the holy Shechinah (Divine Presence) speaks from their mouths. May the verses be fulfilled in us: "As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says Hashem: My spirit that is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says Hashem, from henceforth and forever" (Isaiah 59:21); "For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul" (Jeremiah 31:24); and "You have heard, see all this; and will you not declare it? I have announced to you new things from this time, even hidden things, and you did not know them. They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day you did not hear them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.' Indeed, you did not hear; indeed, you did not know; indeed, from of old your ear was not opened" (Isaiah 48:6-8). May we merit that the souls we draw down into the world will be entirely new souls, like the souls of Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David, who will bring the complete Geulah (Redemption) and build the Beis HaMikdash, speedily in our days in the blink of an eye. Amen, Netzach, Selah, Va'ed.

תְּפִלָּה שֶׁיִּזְכּוּ לִמְלַמְּדִים הֲגוּנִים וְיִרְאֵי שָׁמַיִם (A Prayer to Merit Worthy and God-Fearing Teachers)

Master of the Universe, Almighty One from whom no purpose can be withheld, grant me the merit that my son will learn from worthy, good, and God-fearing teachers. May they instill within him a true fear of Heaven, until he merits to see Hashem face to face in every single moment and second. May they instill within him pure and clear emunah (faith), so that he merits to see and feel Hashem in every moment and second, knowing that every action and every thought of his all comes from Hashem, may He be blessed. May my holy and pure son, who is named [insert name], merit to reach the holiness and purity of our holy Rebbe Nachman—a purity the likes of which has not existed since the world was created. For this purpose, arrange for him wonderful, holy, and pure teachers of the utmost holiness and purity, who tremble before Hashem, may He be blessed, in every single moment, and who feel the Kingship of Hashem upon themselves in every second. Through this, may they merit the ultimate holiness of the Covenant, perform their holy work with faithfulness, and instill within him all holiness and purity to the absolute utmost, infinitely and boundlessly. May my holy and pure son merit to reach the level of our holy Rebbe Nachman, who remembered the "Ayin" (Divine Nothingness). May he merit to reach the reality of the Ayin completely, and merit to become entirely Ayin (nullified to God), until in this merit he will feel the reality of Hashem in every moment and second, and merit to see the Holy One, blessed be He, face to face in every moment.

Please, Merciful and Gracious One, You who are Almighty and from whom no purpose can be withheld, before whom no gate is closed, and who hears the prayer of every mouth—even the prayer of a poor and destitute person like me, blemished and utterly distant. Please, Merciful and Gracious One, see my pain and see the magnitude of my suffering, and the war waged against me from the front and from behind, from every side. My only desire is to do Your will, and all my requests are solely that all my deeds should bring You nachas ruach (spiritual satisfaction). Therefore, please hear my cry, that this son of mine, who came through so many tears and weepings, will be guarded with the ultimate protection, holy with the ultimate holiness, and pure with the ultimate purity. For this purpose, prepare for him right now holy and pure teachers, outstanding scholars in Torah and fear of Heaven, who are in a state of ultimate lowliness and humility. May they be able to instill within my holy and pure son, in every single limb, all the humility and lowliness of all the tzaddikim in the world, until my holy and pure son merits to reach the humility of Moshe Rabbeinu, about whom it is said: "Now the man Moshe was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth." And may I, too, be worthy of raising such a holy and pure son. May I also merit the ultimate holiness and purity beyond which there is no perfection, so that I will be able to instill holiness and purity into my holy and pure son as well. May I also merit to be an outstanding Torah scholar, all for the sake of Your holy and pure Name. May all my deeds and thoughts be solely for the sake of Your Name, and may I raise my son in pure fear of Heaven solely for the sake of Your Name. May my holy and pure son be surrounded by fear of Heaven on every side—whether at home, in the cheder (Torah school), or in the street. May he merit to walk in the streets with absolute guarding of his eyes, meriting never to see any improper sight. May he merit the guarding of the eyes of our holy Rebbe Nachman, who never looked at any worldly sight at all. And may he merit the holiness of the Seven Shepherds in the ultimate perfection, beyond which there is no perfection.